Our five-pronged approach focuses on your individual strengths to develop your unique qualities towards making you an exemplary pi- designer.
01/02/2023
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"Design is a journey of discovery"- Derek Parker. As this quote accurately describes, design indeed is a journey. It inculcates delving into one’s passion, expertise, inclinations, and more.
If design is a subject that piques your interest, you might be acquainted with the terms interior designing and interior architecture. We have all come across a stream of job applications and conversations in the fraternity. These pirouettes around this subject. But, haven’t these left you wondering about what exactly is the difference between an interior designer and an interior architect?
Well, if that question has left you intrigued, we have you sorted. Design is a fraternity that resonates with the aspects of diversity and evolution. This has led to the curation of many roles and paths for you to pick your calling. Through precise knowledge and insights, it is a cakewalk to understand these elements.
Let’s get into the know-how of both these career options. With this, you can pick the one that resonates with your expertise.
Interior Design is the field that inculcates the infusion of art and functionality. Thereby, the profession curates beautiful spaces. An interior designer looks into multiple aspects including material selection, choice of furnishings, finalising of colour palettes, and more.
To be a good interior designer, you need to be well-versed in the decorative aspect of the field. A precise knowledge of historical design periods, colour theory, and market trends eases the process of interior designing.
The scope of interior design incorporates all sorts of spaces. From educational institutions and workspaces to residences and commercial spaces. There are a lot of fields that need the skills and creativity of an interior designer. With the evolution of the design fraternity, the field has become a popular career option.
Interior Architecture encapsulates the functional designing of an interior space. An interior architect addresses the functional and material requirements of a space. Thereby, he/she looks into the aspects of electrical fittings, plumbing, placement of openings, and more.
To pave your career as an interior architect, you should be well-versed in the fundamentals of interior architecture. Good communication skills and creative expression are also integral requirements.
From design conceptualisation to execution of the project, everything is tackled by an interior architect. With the rapid growth in urbanisation and evolving lifestyle, interior architecture has established firm roots in the prospect of design career options.
Both interior design and interior architecture are exemplary design fields to be a part of. But, one needs to understand the differences between the two. Interior Designing focuses on curating interior ambience or atmospheres while Interior Architecture is more concentrated on structural design. Both these fraternities entail a list of merits and demerits. These help you choose the one best suited to your interests.
To delve into these differences, we have curated a concise list. Through this, you can gain vital insights and opt for the coursework that works well for your goals or expertise.
1. Basic Difference: Interior Designing revolves around curating functional and aesthetic interior environments while Interior Architecture focuses on the structural and technical part of creating interior spaces.
2. The Aesthetical Aspect: Interior Designing focuses more on the design aspect that caters to the curation of aesthetically pleasing spaces. But, interior architecture puts together the fundamentals of structural essentiality and aesthetic appeal.
3. Incorporation of Diverse Elements: Interior Design curates interior spaces through the streamlining of elements. These include finishes, furnishings, colour palettes, and more. Interior architecture addresses components such as electrical fittings, plumbing, material selection, and more.
4. The Freedom of Creative Expression: Interior Designing is a field that requires you to experiment with elements. Thus, this paves way for a vast scope of creative expression. Interior Architecture balances technicality and creativity to curate functional design concepts.
5. Degrees and Licences: Both these fraternities are related to the putting together of interior spaces at their core. But, interior designing and interior architecture need different degrees. Also, to start your career as an interior architect, you need to have a licence.
6. Time Consumption: To become an interior designer, you need to put in three to four years for the Bachelor’s Degree. On the other hand, interior architecture requires you to invest at least five years in the Bachelor’s program.
7. Design Approach: Interior Designing entails a decor-oriented approach while Interior Architecture is more structural functionality centric. The former includes putting the artistic side of designing to use while the latter strikes a balance between the creative and technical aspects.
8. Tools and Methods: Interior Architecture is articulated in a way that more design-specific tools and methodologies are incorporated as compared to Interior Designing.
9. Focal Aspects: Interior Designing covers the elements on a macro level while interior architecture amalgamates both macro and micro aspects. Interior Architecture explores deeper into the depth of creating interior spaces as compared to interior designing.
10. Specialisations: Interior Architecture opens up more areas of expertise for you to specialise in as compared to interior designing since it includes both the decorative and structural aspects.
11. Versatility and Expansion of Creative Horizons: Interior Architecture restricts you a bit since it requires the space to be structurally sound. However, with interior designing, you can experiment with different elements and methods to explore different horizons of creative expression.
12. Orientation towards Detail: With interior architecture, you need to be well-versed in the know-how of imbibing detailed approaches since it entails structural functionality. Interior designing, on the other hand, is more focused on an artistic approach as compared to a detailed one.
Interior Design and Interior Architecture career options that have been gaining momentum in the design market. Yet, the decision of choosing one of these is subjective for every individual.
The decision is relative to the potential, inclination, and goals of an individual. Both fields have a lot of scope in the future. The Interior Design market, mainly residential designing, is blooming with great opportunities.
Interior Architecture is equally impeccable in scope due to the revamping of spaces after the pandemic. Both these fraternities are experiencing an exemplary evolution. They are coming up with new-age innovations that make way for a vast deal of learning. So, you can opt for the one that suits your creative interests in the most precise way.
To pursue Interior Design, you need a Bachelor’s or a Master’s degree in the subject. Certifications and diplomas are added advantages in the profession. The Bachelor’s Degree requires you to invest three to four years.
Interior Architecture requires a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture which takes five years. Post completion, you can go forward with a Master’s Degree in a plethora of specialisations.
Interior Design as a profession entails an impeccable scope for placement and job opportunities. You can work in reputed interior designing firms catering to umpteen projects. As per Glassdoor statistics, the average salary for an interior designer in India is approximately ₹3,06,276 per annum.
Interior Architecture relates to the profession of architecture. Thus, it possesses a great scope for placement opportunities. You have the option of working in firms or even establishing your own business. As per Glassdoor statistics, the average salary for an interior architect in India is around ₹4,29,816 per annum.
Skimming through the know-how of both these professions can be insightful. But, it isn’t enough to make up your mind in favour of one. Studying at a concentrated level eases the exploration of major aspects at a micro-level. This, in turn, makes it easier to have a clearer perception when it comes to one’s interests and expertise.
If you niche down to a particular subject, you can cater to the profession in a better channel. This works both ways, gaining knowledge and refining your expertise, and putting forward functional solutions for the clients or buyers.
The intricacy and technicality of both interior designing and interior architecture require you to take up coursework that facilitates a good understanding of these subjects. This is enabled through a myriad of platforms such as the Indian Institute of Art and Design.
This institute gives you access to both Interior Architecture and Interior Design Coursework through a diverse range of programs. These courses offered by IIAD strive to put forward learning that entails refurbishment, adaptive reuse, retrofitting, and detailed technical servicing objectives while enhancing your creative expression.
From the fundamentals of the fraternity to the multi-disciplinary approaches, there is a myriad of aspects to learn from. Besides that, the institute follows an on-site learning process that takes you through the practicality of the subjects.
Summing Up
Your career path or your profession is streamlined by the means of your degree. Whichever you choose to pursue, it is needed to have an in-depth knowledge of the field. This helps you in understanding whether the aspects of that career path resonate with your creative inclinations and likings.
Even though the design is a versatile fraternity, niche-ing down to a specific area of study is essential. It enables you to define your profession in a better way. Thus, it becomes important to put focus on an intuitive and research-oriented way of career selection.
Both fraternities, interior architecture and interior designing have a list of factors to their perks. The choice among the two is solely based on an individual’s expertise and inclination. Discover what appeals to you the most and get started!
Through focused coursework, an individual gain deeper knowledge of the theory and professional practices. Thus, you would need to delve into the core of the subject if you want to pursue interior architecture.
Yes, the interior architecture includes the creative aspects of interior design. But, it is more technically oriented as compared to interior design.
As per Glassdoor statistics, the average salary for an interior architect in India is higher than that of an interior designer. This also depends on the experience and expertise of a professional.
Interior Architecture is a profession that encapsulates the functional designing of an interior space. An interior architect addresses the functional and material requirements of a space. Thereby, the profession looks into the aspects of electrical fittings, plumbing, and more.
Yes, interior architecture makes for a good career option. The profession amalgamates the creativity of interior design along with the technicality of architecture. Thereby, it facilitates you in tackling diverse scenarios through a focused learning process.
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